1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to body piercing jewelry, and more particularly, to body piercing jewelry designed for painless and convenient use with respect to various parts of a person""s anatomy, e.g. the navel.
2. Description of Related Art
Body piercing jewelry is enjoying increasing popularity in the United States and abroad. The visual, sensual and other effects of body jewelry are becoming better known as its use becomes more mainstream.
The piercing of ears has been practiced by many cultures for thousands of years. The practice of wearing ornamentation in the ear lobes or cartilage of a wearer""s ears has prompted individuals to develop earrings that are aesthetically pleasing as well as safe and painless to wear. Examples of such earrings have been disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,195,492, 5,433,088, and 4,928,367.
One common body piercing jewelry design is the captive bead ring (xe2x80x9cCBRxe2x80x9d), also known as the ball closure ring (xe2x80x9cBCRxe2x80x9d). With this design, a bead includes holes or dimples in opposite sides thereof. The bead is positioned between the ends of a round ring, and is not permanently fixedly attached thereto but instead is held in position by the tension of the ring. A wide variety of both beads and rings are available. Rings can be circular, for example, or triangular, oval, octagonal, or of other shapes. Decorative beads include spheres, cubes, hearts, and other shapes. Various jewels, stones, and other accessories can be incorporated into the bead. Examples of various embodiments of the captive bead ring design are disclosed in International Application No. WO 99/03370.
Many factors affect how tightly the bead is held in place with respect to the ring. These factors include the dimensions of the bead, the depth of the holes or dimples therein, the hardness and gauge of the ring, and the size of the ring. The tighter the bead is held in place, the more difficult it is to remove from the ring. Ring-expanding pliers or other tools often are used to release the bead from the ring. Removing the bead from the ring, with or without pliers, however, is generally a two-person operation, and generally prevents or discourages the wearer of such jewelry from changing out the bead or ring by herself or himself. As a result, the wearer of this jewelry is generally unable to frequently exchange the jewelry for alternatives. A need has arisen to overcome these and other disadvantages.
Another common body piercing jewelry design is the dumbbell design. The dumbbell design comprises a rod, which supports a ball on each end. Normally, one ball is adjoined to the rod by a screw feature or other clamping device. Such a configuration allows for insertion of the rod through a pierced portion of the body and subsequent securement of the jewelry to the body by adjoining the removable ball to the rod with a screw feature or clamping feature. The dumbbell design provides an adequate body piercing jewelry style, but is limited by the number of ornament types that can be implemented when utilizing this design. Furthermore, the securing feature of the dumbbell design can be awkward and difficult for an individual to engage and disengage due to the small ball screw or clamp that is required for securement.
As is evident from the previous description, the body piercing rings previously disclosed have a number of disadvantages. One disadvantage with the BCR and dumbbell designs are that they can be difficult to engage and disengage. Body piercing jewelry that includes tightly secured beads or balls, or screw type mechanisms may be difficult to engage and disengage due to the smallness of their parts and difficult actions required to adequately secure them. These designs thereby cause the wearer to expend additional time and effort. Another disadvantage of utilizing screw type mechanisms is that such mechanisms accumulate dirt or other material on the threads thereby decreasing the efficiency securing and removing the jewelry and also increasing the likelihood of infection. Finally, the previously disclosed designs do not allow for simple changing of ornamentation without removal of the entire device inserted into the pierced part of the body.
The present invention relates to body jewelry, and more particularly, to body jewelry designed for painless and convenient use with respect to a particular area of a wearer""s body, e.g. the navel. Generally, the body piercing jewelry of the present invention comprises a display member that includes an attachment piece operably adjoined to two or more prongs, and a base member that is releasably securable to the display member. The base member is configured to be easily and painlessly inserted and removed from the pierced areas of the wearer""s body.
Multiple display members or rings can be easily changed in and out of a base member or backing, without specialized tools and without the assistance of another person. Furthermore, display members or rings can be easily changed in and out of the base without removing the base from the pierced portion of the wearer""s body. Embodiments of the invention thus support the use and purchase of multiple rings or other display elements, and thus afford the wearer multiple avenues of creativity and expression.
Safety and hygiene are also promoted by utilizing the body piercing jewelry of the present invention. Insertion of a base member into the body can be accomplished relatively easily, and the base member can be changed out easily for purposes of washing, disinfections, etc.
Finally, the configuration of the body piercing jewelry of the present invention offers optimum presentation of the display member while still providing maneuverability of the entire piece of jewelry with the movement of the wearer. Other advantages and features will be apparent to those of ordinary skill.